


WhoLock - Pirates Of The Past

by AprilFool



Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Children, Community: wholockians, Kidlock, Pirates, Wholock, childlock, ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 23:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10707282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AprilFool/pseuds/AprilFool
Summary: Young Sherlock is bored. But then the eleventh Doctor visits him and an adventure begins.





	WhoLock - Pirates Of The Past

**Author's Note:**

> My first fan fiction. Totally new to this, totally wholocked.

Every great and not so great adventure begins in a stormy night or on a boring day. On a very boring and rainy Sunday morning. Breakfast was already over. Mum cleaned the kitchen, Dad fixed the once again broken bicycle, Mycroft did his homework. Even Redbeard was busy chewing on a bone.  
Sherlock lay on his back right next to his dog on the floor. He watched the raindrops leaving blurry trails on the window of his room.  
“Bored”, he sighed.  
Redbeard did not bother to look up from his bone. His smacking and the knocking rain were nearly the only noises around Sherlock. Sometimes he could hear his mother rattle with the dishes, and soft classical music came from Mycroft’s room. But otherwise this Sunday morning was not just boring but quiet as well.  
Sherlock stared at the ceiling. “Redbeard, I want something to happen”, he said. The dog gave no answer to that, too occupied with his treat.  
“Bored!" Sherlock was a bit annoyed by now. He held his breath as long as possible and even a little longer. At forty-three seconds he started hearing a “whoosh” and a “warp”. His vision flickered. “Going low on oxygen now”, Sherlock thought but was not ready to start breathing again. The “whoosh” and the “warp” grew louder and ended abruptly with a heavy “thump” that made the floor shake. Sherlock sat up and sucked in a big amount of air just to hold his breath again. But this time it was not because of boredom but because of astonishment.  
“Redbeard”, Sherlock whispered and felt for his friend without looking at him. With big blue eyes the little boy stared at a big blue box. The box had just somehow appeared. Sherlock was not sure if that was the right word to explain what had just happened.  
“Police Box” was written above two narrow doors with windows at the top.  
One door opened. Very slowly a foot and a leg and then a whole man came out of the blue box. The man was wearing brown shoes, brown trousers with brown suspenders, a white buttoned shirt a brown jacket and a red bow-tie. He glanced at Redbeard who made low growling sounds, and then at Sherlock.  
“Hi”, the man said and waved at the boy.  
“Hi”, Sherlock answered warily. He was still surprised but already felt excitement build in his heart.  
The man left his box behind and came to Sherlock. He kneeled in front of the little boy. “I am the Doctor.” He smiled the biggest smile Sherlock had ever seen. If there was the possibility of having the tiniest bit of fear inside Sherlock, it immediately vanished because of this bright smile.  
“Doctor Who?”, he asked.  
“That’s a really good question. Let’s find an answer to that later. Who are you?”  
“My name is Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes”, Sherlock responded. His eyes were still opened widely.  
“Well, hello Sherlock. Do you want to come on an adventure with me?”  
Sherlock nodded.  
The Doctor held out his hand. “Then let’s go!”  
And without hesitation the boy took the hand and followed the stranger to the box.  
“Can I bring my dog?”, Sherlock asked a bit shyly before entering the box.  
“Of course! Redbeard, come here!”, the Doctor ordered, and the dog left his bone.  
“Why do you know Redbeard’s name? I have never told you”, Sherlock deduced.  
“Oh, I can speak to animals. Come inside now? Sherlock, Redbeard, welcome to the Tardis!” The Doctor swirled around.  
Sherlock looked at his surrounding with amazement. He had never seen something like this before. On the outside it was just a blue box but on the inside there was a whole world.  
Stairs led to a control panel with a gazillion of levers, switches and buttons blinking and buzzing.  
“What is a Tardis?”, he asked while climbing the stairs.  
The Doctor spread his arms and swirled again. “This is the Tardis!” He sounded very proud.  
Sherlock rushed to the control panel. “What do all these buttons do?”  
“Let’s find out!” The Doctor smirked. “Are you interested in anything special?”  
“Pirates!”, Sherlock blurted out.  
“Pirates it is”, the Doctor said and pulled a lever. “Push the two blue buttons in front of you.”  
And as Sherlock did as he was ordered to the whole excitement that had been hiding inside him all the time since the first “warp” sound only a few minutes ago rushed through his body.  
“Is this like a spaceship? Do we fly to the moon?”, Sherlock asked.  
“No, a Tardis is much more than just a spaceship. And we’re going to visit some friends I haven’t seen in a while. We can fly to the moon the next time if you want to.”  
The Doctor took something black from a small shelf hidden between colourful switches and handed it to Sherlock. “This is for you. You are my assistant now.”  
It was a black pirate’s hat. Sherlock put it on his head, his whole face glowing because of happiness. “Pirate hats are cool!”  
“Bow-ties are cool”, the Doctor responded. He pointed at something on the control panel. "We need to push the yellow button now.”  
Sherlock looked up. The yellow button was flashing way above his head. “I’m too small, I can’t reach it.”  
The Doctor wrapped his arms around the boy and lifted him up. “You will never be too small again”, he said as Sherlock put his index finger on the yellow button and pushed.  
“Amazing! We are on our way now”! The Doctor beamed at the boy in his arms and whirled him around before he sat him on the now vibrating ground.  
“Where do we go now?”, Sherlock asked.  
“It’s a surprise”, the Doctor said and he looked as happy and excited as Sherlock did. After only a few minutes that seemed like seconds to the boy, the vibrating stopped.  
The Doctor grabbed Sherlock by his hand. Followed by Redbeard they rushed to the doors.  
The Doctor pushed the doors open. “Welcome to 1770!”

At first everything was just bright with a few streaks of black in it. But after squinting a bit the brightness turned into a sky and big sails, the streaks formed wooden masts and ropes. They were on a ship.  
“We are on a ship! I am a pirate!”, Sherlock screamed and jumped up and down. Redbeard ran around his legs, barking and waving his tail.  
“Doctor!”, a deep voice roared. A bearded man in old looking clothes and a real sword hanging on his side came to them. Others followed.  
“Captain Avery, haven’t seen you in a while. Nice to meet you again.” The two men shook hands.  
Sherlock tried to not stare at the men. But they all looked so exciting in their old fashioned clothes. Some wore jewellery and had tattoos on their bare arms. Sherlock could not hide his curiosity any longer. “Are you pirates?”, he blurted out.  
Captain Avery turned to the small boy. He grinned. “Yes, we are pirates. And today you are one of us.”

They sat at a big wooden table in the captain’s loft and enjoyed corned beef (but Sherlock did not enjoy it as much as Redbeard) and rum. Although Sherlock was just seven years old he was allowed to at least try the drink. It tasted awful but he managed to swallow the small sip.  
“You can spit it out, you know”, Captain Avery said. Sherlock was not sure about this, his mother had taught him good manners and spitting on the floor was definitely not one of them.  
“I don’t like alcohol too”, the Doctor whispered into Sherlock’s ear. The boy grinned at him.  
“I need your help”, Captain Avery said to the Doctor. “We will meet a ghost ship tonight. It’s floating around fifty-two years now. It has loaded big amounts of gold, and I want that gold, you know. Many different captains and their crews have entered Santa Barbara before but they’ve never left that ship again. It’s haunted, it’s said. I dunno if that’s true. But again, I want the gold. I want to get it tonight. Do you come with me tonight?” And Captain Avery did not just look at the Doctor now but at Sherlock as well.  
“Of course! Yes!” Sherlock screamed in excitement. This was definitely the best day of his life.  
The Doctor turned to the little boy. He sounded a bit worried when he spoke. “But you have to stay with me all the time. Do not leave my side.”  
Sherlock promised.  
Captain Avery stood up and went to a cupboard. He took something wrapped in leather from it and handed it to Sherlock. “Open it”, the Captain ordered and Sherlock did as he was told to. The thing in his hands was heavy and silver and cold and made from metal. “It’s a sword!” His eyes grew big.  
Captain Avery laughed. He sounded like a roaring bear. “You already have a hat, now you need your own sword.”  
“You mean, it’s mine? My own sword?”  
“You’re right. It’s yours. Your own sword.”  
Sherlock looked in the bearded man’s face. “Thank you so much. Thank you so so much!” He felt like his heart had to explode because of happiness.  
“Do you know how to use it?”, Captain Avery asked.  
“I’m practicing every day, I have a wooden one at home”, Sherlock answered. He was glad that he had ignored Mycroft’s suggestion to throw that “baby toy”, as Mycroft called Sherlock’s wooden sword, away. The metal sword felt a lot heavier, Sherlock had to use both hands to lift it up.  
“Good boy.” Captain Avery smiled.  
“Do you have a sword too?”, Sherlock asked the Doctor.  
The Doctor reached into his jacket and handed Sherlock a small object. Sherlock looked puzzled.  
“It’s a screwdriver. It can scan things and open everything and it helps me when I’m in trouble”, the Doctor explained.  
“Can you scan me?” Sherlock was interested in what this magic screwdriver had to say about him.  
The Doctor took his tool and held it near Sherlock’s heart. A green light and a funny sound appeared. After just a few seconds the Doctor looked at the screwdriver’s display. “A happy healthy human, seven years old, a broken arm two years ago.”  
Sherlock was impressed.  
“It can heal broken arms, too”, the Doctor said.  
“Convenient.” Sherlock smiled. He thought of the day he had fallen from the tree in his garden.  
The boy leaned back in his chair, cheerful and happy. He heard the wooden ship creak and squeak, the water splash against the planks. His eyes grew heavier and just a few moments later he was asleep. 

“Sherlock.”  
Something touched his arm. Sherlock opened his eyes. He looked into the Doctor’s smiling face.  
“What time is it?”, he asked startled.  
“Time to enter Santa Barbara”, the Doctor said cheerfully.  
A wave of new excitement banished Sherlock’s tiredness. He grabbed his sword, made sure his hat sat right on his curly hair and followed the Doctor outside. Redbeard stayed behind.  
On deck Captain Avery and his crew had already gathered together. The sky was nearly dark now. Sherlock shivered in the cool night air. He looked around and spotted the ghost ship floating in the darkness. It was impossible now to tell where the sea ended and the sky began.  
“We use the dinghies to get to the Santa Barbara”, said Captain Avery. “You and the Doctor come with me.” He looked Sherlock straight in the eyes. “Are you ready?”  
Sherlock’s heart was pounding fast, his palms got sweaty. “Yes, I’m ready”, he said breathlessly.  
“Then let’s go!”  
The pirates went to the railing and climbed on ladders made out of ropes to get down to the dinghies.  
Sherlock looked up to the Doctor. “I… I’m not sure if I can do this”, he whispered scared.  
“Don’t worry. We do it together.” The Doctor kneeled down. “Climb on my back.”  
Sherlock wrapped his arms around the Doctor and closed his eyes. He felt the Doctor’s movements and tightened his grip. He was so afraid of falling down in the black water. But he would never admit that.  
“I got you”, the Doctor said like he could read Sherlock’s thoughts. And just moments later they reached the small wooden boat. They rowed through the night, the Santa Barbara lying in front of them.  
Some of the pirates had already gone on board and had prepared ladders. With adrenaline spreading through his body Sherlock climbed the ladder all by himself.  
The ghost ship was frightening. The canvases were tattered and sent moving shadows down the wooden planks. The only light came from the pirates’ torches that stretched the shadows into horrific creatures.  
“You two stay here while we get the gold. Be prepared for some unexpected visitors. This ship’s crew is dead but not gone”, Captain Avery said in a low, dark voice. Even he was too afraid to speak loudly.  
Sherlock was not so sure anymore if he was still excited. Captain Avery was a mountain of a man, but on board of the Santa Barbara he appeared to be a totally normal guy with the same fears like everyone else.  
When the Captain and his men had left Sherlock felt for the Doctor’s hand right next to him.  
“Everything’s going to be okay, right?”, he asked with a crack in his voice.  
“Of course!”, the Doctor said confidently. He looked down into Sherlock’s face and gave him one of the big smiles. He squeezed the boy’s hand. Sherlock calmed down a bit and even managed to look around. There was a movement behind some broken barrels. Sherlock blinked. He hoped that it was just one of the pirates. It was not. A creature so monstrous that Sherlock let out a little scream raised from behind the barrels. A second and third one followed. Hollow black eyes in a skull from which rotten flesh hang down stared right inside Sherlock’s soul.  
“Doctor!”  
“Yes, I am aware of them. I guess it’s the dead crew.” With one hand the Doctor fumbled for his sonic screwdriver.  
With the sound of cracking bones the creatures lumbered toward Sherlock and the Doctor.  
Sherlock tried to hide behind the Doctor’s legs. He had to let go of the hand that had given him a feeling of safety.  
The Doctor raised his screwdriver. A bright green light illuminated the deck. The creatures hissed and raised their thin arms to protect their faces from the light. Where the green light hit the skull smoke was rising. Sherlock cheered and left his hiding place. He raised his sword and stood next to the Doctor. The shiny metal reflected the green light and it flooded every nook and cranny. All the shadows died down and they took the cursed crew with them.  
“We did it, we did it!”, Sherlock screamed gleefully and jumped up and down, the green light of the screwdriver still shining.  
He heard footsteps and whirled around. Captain Avery and his crew! They carried big chests that were too fully loaded to close. Jewels spilled over the floor and Sherlock bent down to catch a pretty green one.  
“Mission completed, the treasure is ours!”, Captain Avery yelled. They left the ghost ship, and this time Sherlock was brave enough to climb down the ladder all by himself. 

Back on board of the pirates’ ship Captain Avery backslapped the Doctor. “Great work! Now it’s time to celebrate!”  
“I fear we have to leave you now”, the Doctor said. He looked at Sherlock who was getting cold dog snout kisses from Redbeard.  
“Alright then”, Captain Avery said. “It was a pleasure to meet you. You are a real pirate.” And he smiled at Sherlock.  
Sherlock felt blessed and happy. He once again thanked Captain Avery for the sword and waved his goodbye at the crew. Then he, Redbeard and the Doctor entered the Tardis and left 1770 to travel back to 2017 England.  
Sherlock yawned. Although he had taken a nap earlier today in the Captain’s loft he was very tired now.  
“Hopefully mum hasn’t noticed my absence yet”, he mumbled.  
“Don’t worry, not much time has passed. It’s still Sunday morning when we arrive”, the Doctor said.  
Minutes later they were back in Sherlock’s room.  
“Promise me that you will come back?”, Sherlock asked when it was time to say goodbye.  
“I’ll promise”, the Doctor said and hugged the little boy.  
“Thank you so much”, Sherlock whispered. And as he watched the Tardis disappear with all its pretty “whooshes” and “warps” his eyes filled with tears. He already missed his new friend. Redbeard pressed his nose against Sherlock’s legs to comfort him. Everything had turned quiet again and Sherlock sank down on the floor. He admired the green jewel and the sword and his pirate hat, and his happiness came back.  
The door opened. It was his Mum.  
“What are you doing, sweetheart?”, she asked. She glanced at the sword. “That’s a real weapon! Did Mycroft buy you that? I told you boys to not bring any weapons into this house! Mycroft!" And she left Sherlock’s room to rant at the elder boy.  
Sherlock hugged his dog. “We are real pirates now, Redbeard. And time travellers!" 

Outside the rain had stopped, Dad had fixed Sherlock’s bicycle and the world appeared a bit less boring to Sherlock when he ran down the stairs to put on his coat and rubber boots.  
Together with a red dog a little boy with curly hair and a big black pirate hat ran through the puddles the rain had left. They were on the hunt for new adventures.


End file.
